The Announcement
by adromir
Summary: Sam and Jules invite his parents to come over for dinner. Instead of announcing the surprising news, they are the ones who end up being surprised. A follow-up to S05 E08 'We Take Care Of Our Own'.


**Hi, guys! Me again with another JAM one shot. This is based on the latest episode just aired this week. A truly Samtastic episode , I tell you! So, if you hate spoilers, please do not read. Consider yourself warned.**

**To be on the safe side, I rate this fic as T.**

**Happy reading!**

**SUMMARY : Sam and Jules invite his parents to come over for dinner. Instead of announcing the surprising news, they are the ones who end up being surprised. A follow-up to S05 E08 'We Take Care Of Our Own'.**

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Sam and Jules stepped into the elevator that would take them up to his apartment. As soon as the doors closed, they dropped the take-out bags of Thai food to the floor and literally jumped into each other's arms, lips locking and hands pawing.

"Sam…" she managed to gasp between kisses, "Someone might get in."

"Good. The more the merrier," he easily replied as he stroked her thighs.

Leaning against the wall, Jules emitted a throaty laugh. "God, I'm so hot for you right now. I don't wanna share."

"I don't want to share you, either." He kissed her earlobe. "You are mine, Jules. All mine."

"We still got time?" Panting, she ran her tongue against the column of his throat.

He nodded, his eyes half closed. "They need at least five hours to drive down from Ottawa. We have lots of time before they get here, sweetheart."

"Good. Let's do it."

The bell dinged and the elevator arrived at Sam's floor. They hastily gathered the bags of take-out and rushed for his unit. Sam was so pumped up that he dropped his keys as he tried to unlock the door, causing Jules to break into fits of giggles.

"Nervous much, Officer Braddock?"

"No, ma'am. Just feeling weak with anticipation."

The moment they got inside, Sam shut the door and pushed her against it, slowly hitching up her skirt. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Jules chuckled. "It's too late to ask me that, partner. I'm already preggie."

Sam rolled his eyes. "What I mean is…will the baby be okay? Will _you_ be okay?"

Lovingly, she kissed his jaw. "It's gonna be fine, honey. Trust me."

"I promise I'll be gentle."

"Well, too bad. Because gentle is far from my mind right now." She leapt and wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging hard to him. "Do me now, soldier."

"Your wish is my command." Grinning, he cupped her butts and backed towards the bedroom, kissing her the entire way. Blindly, he reached for the doorknob behind him and gave it a twist. In their hastiness, the door flew open and hit the wall with a loud bang. Oblivious to the racket, they started to tear at each other's clothes until—

"What the hell!"

They both froze at the sudden roar. Whirling around, Sam shoved Jules behind him and put up a defensive stance. His jaw dropped to see the man who sat bolt upright in the bed.

"_Dad_?"

"Do you mind?" the General growled in reply, gathering the sheets across his bare groin.

"Oh, honey. Don't be mad at the boy. It's not his fault." A beautiful brunette emerged from between the covers to smile back at Sam and Jules. "Hello, dear. Sorry that you found us like this. Our bad."

"Oh my god," Sam gasped out loud, turning deadly white. He clapped his hand over his eyes and ran out of the room, hollering, "Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my _GOD_…!"

Shaking her head, Mrs. Braddock slapped her husband in the arm. "Now look what you've done."

"_Me_? It takes two to tango, if you must know!"

Jules had been watching it all unfold with her mouth hanging wide opened. Stifling her laughter, she then stepped out of the room before closing the door and went looking for Sam, who could still be heard cursing and yelling bloody murder. She found him in the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinet under the sink.

"Umm…Sam? What are you searching for?"

Sam continued to bang around, grumbling to himself. "Detergent, dishwashing liquid, soap. Whatever. I need to cleanse the ghastly images out of my corneas."

Chuckling, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "Babe, it's okay."

"It's not okay!" he retorted. "That's the most appalling thing I've ever seen!"

"Sam, they are your parents."

"Exactly!"

General Braddock chose that moment to come out of the bedroom. He was fully dressed, much to their relief. But he was also wearing the fiercest scowl one had ever seen.

"Why didn't you knock?" the General barked.

Sam fumed, "You want _me _to knock? But it's my apartment. My room. My bed. _Ugh_! _My_ bed, Dad? Seriously? And you guys just had to have it _here_?"

"Why are you so pissed off?"

"Why? I just caught you in my bed with Mom and you're…you're…umm…"

"Naked and having sex?"

"Jeez, Dad!" Sam cried out, covering his ears as he spun around, his face reddening. "My eyes are almost blind and you want to burn my eardrums too?"

"I can't understand what you are so upset about. It was just—"

"Don't say it!" Sam warned, putting up his arms in a resigned manner. "Please. Don't even say that word around me. _Again_."

His mother walked out of the room then, wearing an exquisite jade-green cocktail dress that matched the color of her eyes and her Jimmy Choo high heels. She had even managed to freshen up her make-up. Already in her early fifties, Mrs. Braddock was still one stunning woman, and Jules could see from where Sam had mostly inherited his good looks. He might share the same shade of blond locks with the General, but he definitely got the fine bone structure and stubborn chin from his mother.

"There, there, now," said Mrs. Braddock as she came over to give her son's cheek a kiss. "Fret no more, Sammy. Just pretend that it never happens."

"How in the world am I going to accomplish that?" Sam threw his arms in the air. "I'm already scarred for life!"

"Kid, I think you are over reacting." The General scoffed. He turned to Jules to give her a warm hug. "Hey, Jules. How're you doing?"

But Sam was not ready to drop the matter yet. "No one's son is supposed to see…_that_."

"Get over it, Sammy," his father shot back. "How did you think we had you in the first place, pluck you from a tree?"

"Calm down, sweetheart. Both of you." Mrs. Braddock just chuckled. She was wrapping Jules in her embrace. "It's nice to see you again, dear. Thank you for inviting us to dinner."

"It's nice seeing you too," Jules replied with a dazed smile. "Thanks for coming. We didn't know you've already arrived."

"She's right. How did you guys get here so fast?" Sam wondered.

"We took a chopper from the base. I just can't stand the traffic at this hour," Braddock senior answered. He bent to pick up the take-out bags from the floor near the front door. "Are these our dinner? Oh, Thai curry. I love Thai curry."

"Huh. Chopper. I should have known." Shaking his head, Sam grabbed the bags from his father's hands. "Give me those. I'll heat 'em up and then we can eat. So how did you get in? I didn't leave you my keys."

"Your sister gave us her keys," his mother said, linking arms with Jules as they went to sit on the couch.

Sam paused to look up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna kill Nat. I swear, I will."

Fifteen minutes later, they all sat at the dining table. The heated food emitted such a mouthwatering aroma that they didn't waste any time to dig in. It was a bit awkward at first, what with the recent bedroom incident and all. But when the General started a conversation about Sergeant Robert Gray, it went smoothly from there.

"The military is serious about buying his house for the vets?" Sam asked, between bites of spicy padprik fried rice.

"Yes, we surely are. These are our people. We take care of our own, especially the ones fallen through the cracks," replied his father. He gazed deeply at his son. "That's a wonderful thing you did, Sammy. You stop the man from killing himself. Despite what he has done, Gray is a good man, a good soldier."

Sam shrugged. "I've been where he is. Losing someone you love can make you do crazy stuffs."

"Oh, honey." His mother reached over and squeezed his hand. "You're talking about Alice, aren't you? You still hurt thinking about her?"

Sam returned the squeeze. "Well, aren't you? I was there. I saw her got run over, and I did nothing to protect her."

"Sammy, you were only nine," Braddock senior quietly said. "It was my responsibility to protect your little sister, to protect the both of you."

That caused Sam's eyes to fill up. Sitting next to him, Jules reached over to hold his hand under the table.

"For years, I thought…" he tried to say, "I thought you blamed me for her death."

"Why would you think that way?" Mrs. Braddock looked stunned. "It wasn't your fault."

"I failed to keep her safe. I kept thinking that I could have done something to save her, like pushing her out of the way, that it was indeed my fault for not moving fast enough."

"Sam," the General said, "If anyone was at fault, it was me. I'm the father, and it's my job to keep my children out of danger. I failed that once, and I really hope it won't happen again. I don't think I can bear it if I lost either you or Nat. The pain will be too great."

"It's that why we didn't talk about Alice soon after she died, as if it never happened?" Sam swallowed hard. "Because the pain was so unbearable?"

The General exchanged looks with his wife. Sighing, he then replied. "We deal with our sorrow differently, son. I was in complete denial, and your mother made herself busy to forget. We were totally ignorant of what you felt until you made yourself think that it was your fault, which was wrong. You were only a kid, and yet you had to deal with too much pain all on your own while the both of us found our comfort elsewhere, when in fact _we_ were supposed to be comforting _you_. For that we apologize, Sammy. We did our best to be good parents but we're not perfect. I guess our selfishness nearly cost us another child."

Sam smiled. "Well, I'm still here. I'm a lot stronger than I look, you know that."

His parents dotingly nodded. "Yes, we do."

Laughing, Sam refilled everyone's glass with herbal tea and raised his own. "Here's to family. May our life fill with joy and happiness, and so much more."

"Hear, hear." They bumped their glasses together at the toast.

Braddock senior made a face at his drink. "Herbal tea, Sammy? What's wrong with simple red wine?"

Sam and Jules looked at each other before smiling nervously at his parents.

"I'm avoiding any types of alcohol from now on," Jules began, squeezing Sam's hand so hard he thought she would break his fingers. "Actually, we have an announcement to make."

"Oh, you're getting married?" Mrs. Braddock jumped in, her hands clasped together with delight. Her smile wavered a little when he saw the young couple's expression. "Oh, you're not getting married then."

"Honey, let them speak for themselves." The General gave his wife a disapproving glance, causing her to look slightly abashed.

"Oops. Sorry, dears. Please. Do continue."

"Um…" Staring anywhere but at the Braddocks, Jules said, "We are pregnant."

The elder couple stared back at them in surprise. "Pregnant?"

"Yes, Mom, Dad," said Sam, wrapping an arm around Jules. "We're gonna have a baby. You're going to be grandparents."

Her eyes widening, Mrs. Braddock cheerfully leapt to her feet and leaned over to embrace them both. "That's fantastic! I'm so happy for you. When did you find out?"

"Just yesterday," Jules replied, beaming from ear to ear. "It's only seven weeks old."

"Any nausea, or any other signs that you're expecting?"

"No, not at the moment. But lately, Sam always gets sick in the morning, somehow."

Sam's mother laughed out loud. "_You_ have the morning sickness, Sammy? Just like your Dad when I was having you! Isn't that right, honey? Err…honey?"

To their great surprise, the General had quietly left the table and was walking out the front door, shutting it close behind him. When his mother moved to go after her husband, Sam motioned her back. "It's okay, Mom. I'll talk to him."

Sam stepped outside into the empty hallway. He knew his father couldn't have gone far, and so he took himself to the end of the wing where an opened balcony overlooked the brightly lit city center spread beneath them. Braddock senior was leaning against the rail, staring at a distance with his mind elsewhere.

"Sir, is something bothering you?" Sam tried not to let his annoyance show in his voice, but his father's behavior was grating on his nerves. "You don't agree that we have the baby?"

The General smiled sadly before turning to his son. "Sammy, it's like only yesterday that I held you within the cup of my two hands. You were so small your head fitted perfectly against my palm. I wasn't ready to be a father, then. I was so scared."

Sam blinked. It was not what he expected to hear. "Dad…"

"Look at you, all grown up. I haven't had enough raising you, and now you're about to raise a child of your own. _My_ grandchild. I knew I would become a grandparent sooner or later but this is mindboggling, Sammy. My own kid is having a kid. Wow."

"So, you're okay with all this?" Leaning against the balcony beside his father, Sam turned his face to the wind, his heart blossoming with contentment.

"Sure, I'm okay. Gee, Sammy. If I knew that this would make me so damned happy, I would have told you to make babies a _long_ time ago."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dad, sometimes I feel like wringing your neck."

"The feeling is mutual," his father responded, and they both laughed at that.

After their laughter died down, Sam softly said, "To be frank, Dad, I'm real scared. Terrified, even. I've always wanted kids, but Jules' pregnancy came all of a sudden. We didn't plan this. In fact, we have been very careful. Honestly, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do."

The General draped a comforting arm around his son's shoulder. "Sammy, when you hold your child in the cradle of your arms, you _will _know what to do. Trust me."

His eyes brimming with tears, Sam turned and hugged his father. "Thanks, Dad. I love you so much."

"Even after I've invaded your bedroom?"

Sam stepped away and gave him a glare. "And you spoil the moment by saying _that_."

Bursting into laughter, Braddock senior yanked his son back into his embrace. "I love you too, son. I love you too."

When they returned to Sam's apartment, they found their womenfolk about to go out and search for them.

"Ah, you didn't kill each other. Thank god," said Mrs. Braddock with great relief.

"Why would we do that? Our grandkid needs both his father and grandfather to show him the ropes," the General responded, heading straight for Jules to peck her on both cheeks. "I'm so happy for you, my dear. Try not to overstress yourself, but don't let Sammy get his domineering ways with you either. You're pregnant, not an invalid."

Jules chuckled, reddening with pleasure. "That's what I've been trying to tell him. But you know how stubborn he is."

"Just knock him over the head and he'll see reasons," was the General's advice, much to Sam's disgust.

"A big help you are, Sir. And what makes you so sure it's gonna be a boy?"

"A boy, a girl, do we really care? We'll love 'em just the same. Besides, you might be having twins. A pair set of them."

Sam's eyes bulged almost out of their sockets. "Err…_twins_?"

"Remember your Dad's twin sister, Aunt Jenni?" said his Mom. Turning to Jules, she added, "His Uncle Toby and Aunt Louisa were also born twins. So was Sam's grandfather. It's in the genes. I was just surprised that none of my children are twins."

Grinning, Jules turned to Sam. "Twins, huh? What have you gotten me into?"

Sam could only manage a weak smile. "Oops."

"Alright, honey. Let's go. It's time to get moving," Braddock senior told his wife with a clap of his hands.

"You're heading back to Ottawa tonight?" Sam asked them, helping his mother with her coat.

"Your father has booked us at the Royal York. We're spending the night there. And tomorrow he has to attend a meeting at the City Hall. We'll head back to base soon afterwards."

"Thank you for coming," Jules was saying as he hugged the General. "It means so much to us both that you're here to share the news."

"Our pleasure, little lady," Braddock senior said, placing an arm around his missus' back. "Let's go, dear. Our hotel bed is waiting. Who knows, maybe we can get you pregnant too."

Sam cringed. "_Dad_…"

"Just kidding, son. Just kidding."

After the Braddocks pair had left, Sam and Jules gazed at each other, holding hands and smiling happily.

"So. Where were we?" she asked.

Sam scooped her up into his arms. Snuggling her neck, he carried her towards the bedroom but stopped at the doorway when he noticed the unmade bed.

"Umm…shower," Sam decided, heading for the bathroom. "Shower should be nice."

"Yup, I agree. I just can't wait to get real wet."

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't say things like that."

"Oh, yeah? Why not?"

"I'll show you why."

Jules' squeal of response was quickly muffled by the sound of running water.

**THE END**

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**Yeah, the General is a bit out of character. But hopefully you all have fun laughing.**

**Okay. That's it for today. See you all later, alligator!**


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